Trees save more than 850 lives a year

The next time you walk by a tree, you might be passing one that's saved someone's life ... well, sort of: a new study published by the USDA Forest Services found that trees save more than 850 lives a year and prevent something around 670,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms.

So it's basically the exact opposite of the plants in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening" that release a deadly neurotoxin to kill humans. This study suggests trees have a much more positive impact.

The study looked at four different pollutants - nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide, and small particles like ash. Trees helped reduce these pollutants for an average air quality improvement of less than one percent.

Although that doesn't sound like much, PhysOrg notes that the impacts are "substantial" with researchers placing the value to human health at somewhere around $7 billion per year nationwide.

The study found these effects are especially important in urban areas, with one scientist saying: "With more than 80 percent of Americans living in urban area [sic], this research underscores how truly essential urban forests are to people across the nation."

But while the study concentrated on the positive effects of trees, it does make mention of some possible negative effects such as altering power plant energy use, reducing wind speeds resulting in increased pollution in some places, and emitting trace amounts of their own pollutants.

The study also notes 130,000 small particle-related deaths and 4,700 ozone-related deaths in the U.S. in 2005 were attributed to pollution.

Comments

I agree that trees are very important to our eco-system besides being pleasant to the eye. But these so-called studies that throw out numbers are ridiculous. The USDA is only guess-timating on that 850 number. I think our federal bureau-boobs ought to have something more constructive to do for the $$ billions we're paying them.

Great--trees are not only lovely but need CO2 to live which they use and return 02 back to us mammals--sounds like a win/win for everyone. Now if we could get welfare people to hand out the trees to welfare recipients who musty plant them to receive their checks. You could also give some to the terminally unemployed we'd all benefit, and the workers planting said trees would feel proud about helping out!

A whole 850 lives in the country?? WOW!!! And just think----there are over 2,000 people murdered every year in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. That over 6,000 lives lost. But having trees saves a whole 850 lives in the country. AMAZING journalism, AOL!!!!

While George Washington did not lie about chopping down the cherry tree, the phony, deadbeat POTUS more than happy to lie his head off as a Muslin-Taliban Sympathizer. Are you ready to denounce Christianity and convert to Muslin/Islam to save your ass because Obama the First betrayed you?

Your lesson, Students, figure the number of trees required to build coffins for the non-believers!

Health care is killing 200k ameriacns from MISTAKES alone !@Save trees , but please close hospitals .I know you think a hospital is a good thing. Imagine a war in US people with 200 k victims every year.Health care is nr 1 killer I US.